Greg Ziesemer and Kriss Luckett

Acoustic singer/songwriter

Greg Ziesemer has played an important part in music history in his hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana, as a founding member of such notable bands as The Spirtles, Earthbones, The Spud Puppies, and Jam Sammich.  He was also the bass player for Indianapolis-based roots-rock band, Diamonds and Rust.  Self-employed by day as a fine antiques conservator, he also moonlights as the event coordinator for the RiverRoots Music and Folk Arts Festival in our homebase of Madison, Indiana, and is heavily engaged in the local arts and culture scene.

Kriss Luckett’s musical history begins at Ball State University, as a singer in a handful of popular indie-rock and folk bands.  From there, she became a founding member and front-woman of Indianapolis-based band Diamonds and Rust, whose only CD release Bitterskin was voted “Best Local (Indianapolis) CD of 2001” by NUVO Magazine.  Diamonds and Rust disbanded in 2002, at which time she and Greg began performing as a duo.  Kriss was also a part-time member of popular Indianapolis roots/bluegrass/Cajun ensemble, The Spud Puppies.  Her song “Jackson County”, featured on the Virginia CD, was honored with a songwriting award in 2008 by Just Plain Folks, an international organization of independent songwriters.

As a duo, we’ve enjoyed many years of regional touring, having fun and meeting some fantastic people.  We’ve had the honor of sharing the stage (both as the duo and with our bands) with such amazing musical talents as Peter Rowan & Tony Rice, Yvette Landry, Buddy Cage, Bill Miller, Joe Crookston, and Sam Bush.  We’ve also played alongside many regional favorites such as Tim Grimm, Krista Detor, Carrie Newcomer, Bill Lancton, Jason Wilbur, Tim Brickley, Michael Kelsey, and Danny Flanigan.  We’ve released three CDs – Bare Bones, Virginia, and our most recent live CD, Songs From The Sky.  We plan to return to the studio in summer 2015 to embark upon our next recording project.

We play wineries, brew pubs, coffee houses, pizza joints, funky old theatres, farmers’ markets, libraries, lavender farms, Main Street events, barn festivals, house concerts, and private shindigs, just to name a few.  We have performed standing on fine theatre stages and hay wagons, barn lofts and and the rooftops of houseboats. We perform original music, and have a deep and varied well of cover songs.  We are rootsy, folky, with a little rock, indie, and hippie thrown in for color.  Give us a listen…if you like what you hear, drop us a line and say hello.

This free concert is open to the public as a part of the Arts Council of Indianapolis’ Garden Jams Series. Enjoy the music of local Indiana artists, as you relax in the beautiful glass dome of the Indianapolis Artsgarden. To find more information about the local arts community, visit indyarts.org. For a complete calendar of performances in the Indianapolis Artsgarden, visit http://indyarts.org/artsgarden/monthly-calendar.